It's that time of year again, and I've got the travel bug! The adventures will begin with the whole family in Vietnam and Cambodia. After my dad flies home, my ma, sister, and I will explore the beaches of Thailand. Then, my sister and I are let loose to roam Southeast Asia heading towards Nepal and northern India. Mid April I fly to Zambia to volunteer for a month at Appeased School before starting work in San Francisco. Ready or not, HERE I COME!

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Hoi An: a greedy man's heaven

You want shirt? You want suit? You want bag, purse, shoes?
We make it for you! You pick color and design! Custom, custom!

If I had a dollar for every time I heard that, I’d own the
whole city! Hoi An is a quant, touristy town burrowed in a delta on the central
coast of Vietnam. The people are very friendly and nice, especially if you’re
at their shop. Hoi An’s claim to fame is their custom shops. There’s leather
stores and fabric stores. You pick everything from the design and color to the
pickup time, and they will make anything for you! The price though, that is
definantly negotiated.

Viet Nam, like many other countries, is based around
bartering. Though, Hoi An is another kind of animal. They will fight until the
end over 2,000 VND (about $0.10). They love Tet because then they can say “it’s
a happy new year price, no negotiation”. As you walk though the market people
shout at you “Buy something, please” or “come in, look around, best price in town”.
We spoke with traveler coming from India who said the bartering here was the
most intense and exhausting they’ve ever seen.

Suzie and I had the opportunity to have coffee with a local.
This is when we found out most all the clothing is made by the same “big
tailor”/factory no matter where you’re shopping. So, pick the shop on the price
because they are all the same quality. It is funny knowing this while shopping
because the sellers say they are the tailor or their mother or father makes the
clothes. At one shop a women told me she made the clothes and the next day she
mentioned her mother would make the clothes. Ha! Yaa right!! Shoes though, are
a different story. The shops make them individually so be careful where you buy
them!